3-Days Siavonga (Home of Kariba Dam): A lovely gateway from Lusaka and a Wildlife Safari to Kariba (Zimbabwe)

Reviews from other tours by Lochinvar Safaris

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  Connie4.0•October 2026
  Headline: An Astonishing Adventure My husband, seven friends, and I just returned from an amazing adventure with...
  Headline: An Astonishing Adventure My husband, seven friends, and I just returned from an amazing adventure with Lochinvar Safari. Our safari team (a lead guide, a guide-in-training, 2 drivers, and a chef) was 5 stars. They were knowledgeable, caring, and fun, and from the first moment, they took great care of us. They were incredible team players, supporting each other and us, and tackling every unexpected obstacle together. Our lead guide, Fines Milapo, was exceptional. He was not only knowledgeable, but he also took responsibility for the whole team, listened to what we needed, and liaised with Lochinvar’s tour director, Mark. Our drivers, Alex and Aleck, were amazing at navigating the bumpy back roads and 4-wheel game drives in the Busanga Plains in Zambia. Our chef, Rainford, was a magician, conjuring wonderful meals over a campfire and in our guest houses. His grilled fish dinner with 5 side dishes was the finest we have ever had, surpassing 5-star restaurants. They quickly became part of our “travel family.” Mark was an excellent communicator with us pre-trip, answering all our questions quickly, and during the trip he listened to our needs and made critical changes when needed. He was constrained by very low profit margins for this trip and an unexpected hike in diesel prices due to the Iran war, which affected the cost of hundreds of miles of travel during our trip. He is clearly well connected to a network of hotels and vendors and provided options when we needed changes. I feel confident he would be able to customize an itinerary to meet your needs and expectations, with reasonable price adjustments when necessary. We are a group of friends, mostly in our 70s, with different income levels. We were drawn to this tour by the brochure description and the astonishing price, 10 to 15,000 less than other tours with a similar itinerary. The price point made it accessible for all of us. As experienced travelers, we know how to balance rolling with the unexpected and advocate for what we need. We knew not to expect luxury. If you are looking for luxury, there are plenty of those tours, so keep looking. Our itinerary was amazing, and we saw so many animals in the various national parks: Kafue (upper and lower game drives), Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, and Chobe: lions, elephants, crocodiles, rhinos, many types of antelope, zebras, giraffes, baboons, monkeys and many birds. We loved our sunset cruise on the Zambezi River and hame drive and boat ride through Chobe. We loved the trees and fauna as well. Here is my advice if you are considering this tour: 1. Confirm the accommodations with Mark prior to the trip. Research them and if they are not acceptable, request a change (which might require a slight price increase). If trip deviates from the confirmed list, immediately advocate for a change if it is unacceptable. Mark did change out our accommodations during the trip when we found ourselves in unacceptable locations. The accommodation he uses in Livingston is the Oriental Swan Hotel. It is perfectly acceptable, has a good breakfast, wonderful laundry service, well located but the beds are very hard (box springs with no mattress). They accommodated us by providing 3 thick soft duvets that we used as a base layer on the box spring. I chose this trip because I wanted a camping experience in the Busanga Plains. I wanted to be out of the tourist bubble. Our tents were set up when we arrived with comfortable mattresses and bedding. They were small tents, just big enough for two. I loved this experience of being in deep Africa with the lions roaring in the grassland behind us and crocodiles in the river below. Loved our campfire, sunrises and sunsets. We really felt off the beaten track. There are much more luxurious camping sites available (for a price) if this seems too primitive for your taste. I loved it. 2. Confirm travel vehicles with Mark prior to the trip. The brochure advertises clean, air-conditioned vehicles. It does not say new and luxurious. The vehicle I was riding in lost its air conditioning, but Mark confirmed it has since been retired from service. Also, ensure the vehicle capacity is sufficient for the group size. One of our vehicles was overcrowded, and that was difficult to address once we were on the road. 3. Travel Options: We endured very long days of driving on very bumpy dirt roads. Another option is to pay more and fly in a bush plane. We saw small airports near our destinations. However, we were in for the adventure, and as we traveled across Zambia, we experienced the “real Africa.” I was entranced by the street scenes and country. The town we stopped for lunch had no restaurants that we wanted to use, and we were taken to “Choppies”, a grocery store to get lunch. Loved this stop to see the market, mingle with the locals. the vendors outside, and experience this modern grocery store in the middle of nowhere and the food was surprisingly good! 4. Bring enough money for tips. We expected to tip the guides, drivers, and chef, but underestimated all the other small tips along the way. I think our safari team depends heavily on tips, and they deserve it. ($20 a day for lead guide, $10 for assistant guide, $15 a day for driver, $15-$20 a day for chef). Zambia only uses local currency but the safari team will take USD. In conclusion I want to thank Mark and Lochinvar Safari for crafting a remarkable experience with the perfect balance between enjoying the wild life and cultural experiences for such an amazing affordable price. I especially want to thank Mark for trusting us enough to partner with him on finding solutions when unexpected circumstances emerged.Show more
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  daniel5.0•September 2025
  We had a lovely trip with Cynthia and Nock. They really looked after us and made us feel welcome showing us around...
  We had a lovely trip with Cynthia and Nock. They really looked after us and made us feel welcome showing us around there home country. We loved zambia and this tour made it extra special.Show more